Lansing, Michigan Michigan has become the newest coronavirus epicenter in the United States, but it’s a mystery why.
“I don’t know what’s going on here. Michigan is just one of the hardest hit,” said Scott Niswonger.
Dr. Meredith Hill, Sparrow Hospital’s director of emergency care, said the increase was more drastic than the previous two weeks. “I think there is clearly more community dispersed at this point,” she said.
Niswonger, a COVID-19 patient, said his son may have become infected at his daycare center. He’s been at Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital since Friday.
“We all went and got tested and they all came back positive and it has been on a downward spiral ever since,” said Niswonger. “It just feels like someone, a 500-pound guy just sitting on my chest and I just couldn’t get rid of him.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the latest spike in COVID-19 cases is nationwide driven by younger AmericansOne theory: a possible link with reopening of schools and after-school sports.
“We learn that many outbreaks in young people are related to youth sports and extracurricular activities. The CDC guidelines require these activities to be limited,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC.
There is also a spike in the B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the UK and is now believed to be responsible for a third of all cases in the US.
“We know that B.1.1.7 is more transferable, anywhere from 50-100% more transferable. Whether it’s more transferable, specifically across different age groups, we don’t yet know,” Walensky said.
But there is also good news nationwide. Four million vaccinations were reported Saturday. According to the CDC, at least 23% of American adults have been fully vaccinated and 40% have received at least one dose.
Starting Monday in Michigan, anyone 16 or older can be vaccinated and join 27 other states to expand eligibility.
“You get so excited because a vaccine has been released and it’s a little daunting to see that the spread is greater than the vaccine,” Hill said. “We just try to stop each other and stay as positive as possible.”
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the attribution of a quote about the increase in COVID cases in Michigan to Scott Niswonger, a COVID-19 patient.